From an advance review copy for which I thank the publisher.
Again on the topic of confidence, this is another well-done book for young children, but I have to make a point once more that yet again the artist, in this case Brianna Baker, is badly underserved here. Predictably she gets a tiny text mention on the cover, but her name doesn't appear on the Net Galley listing where I downloaded the review copy of this book, nor does Amazon-owned Goodreads Jug O'Nought review website bother to credit her. I can tell you that's because they're a bunch of self-serving jerks at Goodreads, but I would have thought the publisher might treat her with a little more appreciation and consideration on the book cover and in the Net Galley listing.
The observation I'm about to make is far less applicable in this case, because there's a lot of well-thought text in this book - more than you'd usually see - but it's a fact that very many children's books have very little text and to be honest, it's not like it takes months to put together a book like this in terms of the writing. The artwork on the other hand, especially when it's as well done as this, does take time, and thought and work.
As I said, in this case the writing and art are more balanced, but that still doesn't excuse the artist being treated like a minor player. Maybe it's just me, but it bothers me that book illustration artists are treated so shabbily. And no, I am not a book illustrator for hire, so I have no skin in this game. I just feel that every contributor should be fairly treated.
That aside, this book was sweet and well done, and it told a worthy story of a young child, Nikko, who lacks confidence, and the lessons he learns with the aid fo his teacher and his mopm, abotu putitng himself otu there a bit more than he's used to. I commend this as a worthy read.
